Sydney ram raids could be linked: police

A series of smash and grab raids in Sydney have been foiled after the culprits got spooked, police say.

Officers say the incidents early on Wednesday morning were very similar but it's too soon to confirm whether they are linked.

In the first incident, thieves rammed a car into a convenience store on Phillip Street in Sydney CBD at about 1.50am (AEDT) and attempted to steal an ATM.

However, they were unable to lift the machine and only took the shop's till before fleeing.

Forty minutes later, occupants from a similar car, believed to be a white Mercedes, used sledgehammers to smash through the doors of a hotel in Botany, before they were startled by a resident switching a light on.

At a third incident, the same car smashed through the front doors of a Botany golf club, but it was not clear if anything was taken.